Ringo targets Indians abroad, makes TV debut on IPL

Ringo, an international calling app from Directi, has released its first TVC. The film conceptualised by Stew Redwine Productions targets Indians in USA, UK and Canada and is being aired during the ongoing Indian Premier League.

The film shows a girl (in the US) connecting with her grandmother in India over a Ringo call, with her boyfriend by her side. The grandmother asks the girl where she met him. He's from her school, she reveals, adding that he's smart. When the older woman asks whether he's a gora (foreigner), the girl gets uncomfortable. To avoid the question, she makes noises and tells her grandmother that her voice is unclear. Unfettered, the grandmother informs her that she's aware that she's making those noises with her mouth. The film ends with the girl shown cursing Ringo's 'crystal clear connection', with a super and voice over introducing the service.

Bhavin Turakhia, founder and CEO, Ringo, said, "While we have worked with various agencies in the past for the other business units of Directi, we wanted to explore multiple avenues and a fresh approach for Ringo. That is why we reached out to a number of leading agencies in India as well as the US. After multiple rounds of pitching and evaluation, we decided to go with Stew Red Wines Productions from Hollywood, California. Our marketing team worked closely with their creative team to come up with a couple of great ad concepts, which were finally shot by their production team in Hollywood.”

Turakhia added that a TVC will soon roll out in India. He said, "India is a primary target market for us, and we plan to come up with full-fledged campaigns, both on television as well as OOH, in the next couple of quarters. Our marketing plans are deeply aligned with the product roadmap of Ringo, as well as the overall vision of the company, and based on that, our India campaigns will be launched at the appropriate moment. You can expect us to make a serious dent in the way people communicate once we start our marketing campaigns in India. Having said that, we would like to emphasise that even though the current TVCs are not being aired in India, they are very India-centric. They are targeting the Indian community stationed in US, UK and Canada, and when these people will be connecting back home with the amazingly clear and low cost Ringo calls, we would be indirectly reaching out to our Indian consumers as well."

Ringo is leveraging the IPL with a promotion allowing users 60 minutes of free talk time to India on the first download.